Today's Tidbit... 1935 GoldSmith Sports Equipment Consulting Staff

This is the first of seven articles in a series covering the 1935-36 Fall & Winter GoldSmith Athletic Equipment catalog. Preceding each section of the catalog is a one-page cartoon about the history of that type of equipment, in today's case, football pants.

Click the appropriate link for other stories in the series:

Consulting Staff | Footballs | Shoes | Pants | Jerseys | Helmets | Shoulder Pads | Miscellaneous

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I've shown illustrations and images from period sporting goods catalogs in the past to illustrate how football equipment evolved over the years. Still, I have not showcased a particular catalog until now. Having recently purchased the 1935-36 GoldSmith Athletic Equipment, Fall & Winter catalog in an auction showing only a few interior pages, I was delighted when I received it and began flipping through it. Preceding each of the equipment sections (e.g., football, shoes) was a one-page cartoon covering the history of that equipment. So, I thought it would be fun to show each of those cartoons and Goldsmith's state-of-the-art equipment in the mid-1930s. So, after today, you will see separate Tidbits covering footballs, shoes, pants, jerseys, helmets, and shoulder pads.

However, before launching into each equipment type, we'll review another cartoon highlighting the individuals on the GoldSmith Consulting Staff. Football coaches comprised most of the consulting staff, including Hunk Anderson, Noble Kizer, Fritz Crisler, and Doc Spears, while Major Wandle was a trainer. Each presumably told GoldSmith about a modern football team's equipment needs and had their players test the equipment while it made its way through the development pipeline.

(1935-36 GoldSmith Athletic Equipment, Fall & Winter)